reflecting on... The Land of the living

Our Pastor had a great message this past Sunday It was based on St. Paul's letter to the Colossians1:21-29.

A lot of his message was focused on and how we will not only live in the land of the living once we get to heaven, but how we can enjoy a more abundant and vibrant life, right now. It wasn't a "feel good" message in the way of saying we'll have no problems here on earth or that our problems or issues are miniscule, but when we are in relationship with God. We can enjoy His love, protection, guidance, grace, and mercy.

One part of Dr. Lewis's sermon that especially captivated me and held my attention was when he spoke about "Generational Curses."

Generational Curses don't mean that God has put a curse on our family, and we cannot have any success or live differently. Instead, he explained that a generational curse in the Bible refers to the belief that sins can be passed down to subsequent generations.

This concept is primarily mentioned in the Old Testament where we see how generations of people participated in idolatry and rebellion against God. Today we can see how this concept may pertain and contribute to poverty and addictions and other lifestyles like pornography and seeking wealth or idolizing material things.

The easiest way to identify generational curses may be as we look at the choices and behaviors passing from one generation to another. Not because we are destined to be plagued by them, but because we learn behaviors and coping mechanisms from those who have gone in front of us. For example, we may have seen our father or mother turn to alcohol when they were under stress or feeling pressured and instead of feeling their feelings or do some creative thinking and problem solving- solving, they used alcohol to numb their emotions. As adults we may copy this behavior because it's the way we saw our parents solve their problems or cope with the stresses of life.

Our pastor made sure to tell us that even generational curses can be broken since God can heal and fix everything and nothing is beyond Him to fix or heal or break! Whatever we are struggling with, even if our parents or grandparents or great, great grandparents struggle with those same issues, they can end with us. That was a great relief and liberating news to take home with us.

This is one of the reasons I love Dr. Lewis's sermons. He not only tells us about our sinful ways, but he always makes sure we are covered with the good news God supplies in His word, and no sermon is complete without making sure we know to apply what we learn to our everyday.